Some sort of LaurWalk rubbish
by thecocaptainofthefriendship
Summary: LaurWalk, with some Breredith. Lauren is dating Tad in a feeble attempt to remove her hidden feelings for her best friend, Joe, but when Tad cheats on her, will it bring Joe and Lauren closer together, or rip them apart at the seams? Rated M to be cautious, in view of future chapters.
1. The Dynamic Duet

**A/N: Well, here goes; my first attempt at a fanfic, ugh. xD It is LaurWalk, with slight Breredith. I am usually against shipping real people, but Lauren and Joe would make the cutest couple ever, and I kinda can't help but ship them. All relationships are invented for the sake of the story, and unfortunately probably don't actually exist within Starkid.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline. No hope of owning the Starkids, and that'd be weird, anyway. xD**  
**Anyway... I hope you enjoy this, I guess? Love, The Co-Captain. WOO. xD**

* * *

The bathroom door opened, a small scintilla of light sparkling out from within. Meredith Stepien's hand edged around the frame, and she slid out, smiling gently. Her eyes were crinkled at the edges, and a single tear slowly dripped down her cheek. As her other hand appeared, Lauren Lopez could make out a stick in her hand. A stick with two pink lines blazing like a beacon.

"Mere?" she queried, excitement overtaking her voice.

"I'm... I'm pregnant, Lo!" Meredith squealed, and grabbed Lauren into a clumsy, overjoyed hug. Both girls enveloped one another in their arms, tears overflowing and spilling noiselessly upon the other's shoulders. Black mascara stains spread across Lauren's baggy, sparkly pink jumper, as Meredith sobbed joyous tears.

* * *

All Meredith could think was how perfectly idealistic this was; Brian, her boyfriend of two years, would be as jubilant at the news as she was; as she had been, when the time was up, and two lines had been inked clearly onto the test. _She was going to have a baby._

* * *

Lauren leapt up and down delightedly, and slipped the pregnancy test out of Meredith's hand. She stared at it, eyes wobbly with elated tears. Placing it down on the edge of the bath, she grabbed Meredith's hand, and dragged her to the kitchen, where her mobile phone lay expectantly.

"Who first, Mere? Who shall we tell?" Lauren's questions sprinted out of her mouth, jumbling together and sounding garbled.

"Anyone, I guess! Actually..." Meredith trailed off, an audacious smile tugging at her lips.

"Actually?"

"How about," Meredith smiled wickedly, "we don't tell Brian, not yet? It's his birthday in a couple of weeks; it would make a nice surprise."

"YEEEEESSSSSSS!" screamed Lauren, breaking into new octaves. "It's perfect!"

"Then it's settled," grinned Meredith, "we shan't tell Bri."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's so short, just needed to be written, and I'm doing this whilst watching the Starkid interview with PotterCast, so it's probably not exactly brilliantly written. If any of you have any tips, please review; it would be amazing to think that somebody actually bothered to read this. xD**


	2. No Way

**A/N: Slightly longer chapter this time, but still pathetically tiny. I'm sorry; I promise the next one will be longer!  
Thank you for reviewing, it means a lot!**

* * *

Lauren smiled to herself, slinging her sparkly pink bag over her shoulder, as she shut the door behind her. Her thoughts, however, were not a couple of blocks away, cuddling her boyfriend, Tad; they were instead focused on a tall, muscular guy lounging around at Starkid manor. Joe. She knew it was wrong; wrong to use someone as nice as Tad. He'd never do anything like this to her.

But... _Well._ Lauren sighed, her thoughts turning sour. She couldn't help it. She didn't want to be in love with Joe. She didn't want to be using Tad; she wanted to love _him_. Yet, somehow, she was still continuing this ridiculous routine; going out with Tad, to forget her feelings for Joe. Joe didn't love her. Joe was her best friend - that was all. And, she lamented, that was how it had to be; at least, until she could move on from years of silent pain, grief and despair over someone who could never feel anything more than friendship for her.

Forcing a smile onto her face, Lauren knocked on Tad's front door. When there was no answer, she slipped inside, expecting him to be lazing around, too lazy to get the door, and too immersed in his iPod to hear her knock. She dropped her bag onto the floor, not noticing the pair of heels slung next to Tad's worn converses, too deeply immersed in thought. Joe was always in the back of her mind, and although she was starting to feel for Tad, he would never be the same as her best friend. Lauren slipped her glittery black flats off, and meandered towards the lounge.

The scene parading itself in front of her shocked all melancholic thoughts of Joe from her head.

* * *

Tad was lying on the sofa, his chest bare and his jeans being unzipped by the teeth of a woman not much older than Lauren. She lay across his thighs, her shirt removed but her blood-red bra still intact. Her skirt was pulled in at the waist, emphasising her slim figure. Neither of them noticed Lauren, until she let out a blood-curdling shriek, and ran from the room, shielding her watery eyes.

"Lo!" called Tad, shock and remorse lining his voice, thinly vieling his pleasure. "It's- it's not what it looks like!"  
"Really, Tad?" Lauren screeched, grabbing her bag as she hatsily shoved her feet back into her shoes.  
"I'm sorry, okay! It was a mistake!"  
A new voice chimed in; musical yet scathing: "You call 6 months a _mistake_, Tad?"

"6 months? You've been dating this slut for 6 months?" Lauren was numb to the pain of her heart shattering now, and disbelief coloured her tone.

_"Slut?_" yelled the other woman, as she appeared next to Tad, yanking her shirt into place. "_I'm_ the slut?"  
"You're the one who was scantily dressed during our first meeting!"

And with that, Lauren slammed the door behind her, never to enter that household again.


	3. Not Alone

**A/N: Hello again! Thanks to my reviewers; it makes my day whenever I see a new one. xD**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the storyline, blabla. The Starkids probably aren't anything like this, but hey, it's all for the sake of the story. Enjoy it! xD**

* * *

Lauren clutched her bag to her chest as she ran, not worried about who saw her. Despair held onto her like iron restraints, yet it wasn't the obvious that was bothering her. It was strange; conceringly strange. Lauren didn't care.

Tears stained her cheeks as the wind whipped at her hair. She tripped, losing her shoe in a puddle. Fishing it out, her sobs only increased, and she looked up into celestial blue eyes as she, like her shoe, was pulled gently from the icy water.

She wished.

* * *

Shoving her door open, Lauren dropped her small bag and coat onto the originally clean floor. Water dripped off of her as she slipped quietly towards the bathroom, putting the kettle on as she went. As the hot water of the shower hit her, she as able to think clearly.

_It's not that Tad cheated on me. I guess, in a way, it makes things... easier. Kind of. It's that I have no hope, no hope at all, of ever getting over Joe now. Ever since college, when I mocked him for his sideburns and he teased me over my height, I knew that I loved him. Him, not Tad. Not anyone else. But I thought Tad was my chance, my chance to step out of this neverending loop of despair. He likes me, and that should be enough - friendship is all I should feel for him. He'll never feel any differently towards me. Maybe I should give up. I could be that crazy cat woman, who one day ends up being eaten by her cats, when her money runs out, and she is unable to pay for kitty food. But I always pictured Joe in my future, not cats. Not Tad, either. So, then... who? Nobody?_

Lauren smiled grimly to herself. An expression she often heard being tossed around by fangirls was "What is my life?", and this was exactly how she felt.

* * *

Flopping onto her sofa, Lauren grabbed the T.V. remote and turned on the tele. Boredom lead her to thinking about Joe, and that was exactly what she didn't want. Not thinking about Joe meant dark, melancholy thoughts about Tad, and that pissed her off, more than anything else. She needed a distration... her eyes slid to the discarded pile of High School Musical DVDs, thrown onto the carpet the other night by Brian. He'd had too much to drink, and had carried the discs around all evening, refusing to let them out of his sight. Meredith had gently tried to prise them from his grasp, and he had chucked them across the room in intoxicated anger, before doing the conga out of the door to his car. Meredith followed, laughter reddening her face, and had driven him home.

But, now... Lauren had 3 DVDs to take her mind off of things. She grinned, and sat back on her heels, waiting for the menu to flash up. She hummed along to the song playing in the background, and her phone rung. The tempting, cosy, cuddly sofa made her ignore it, and she relaxed underneath her duvet, lounging on the cushions.

However, whoever had rung her was either a very keen salesperson, or very desperate to speak to her. With a slight sigh, she stopped singing along to 'Start of Something New' as she grabbed the receiver.  
"And the world looks so much brigh- Hey, who is it?"

"Brighter, brighter, with you by my side! Hey, Lo-" the voice changed from an over-the-top, girly singing tone to uncontrollable laughter.

"Joe!" Lauren screeched down the phone, a broad grin painting itself upon her lips.

"How was your dateeeee?" He asked, dragging out the word date. He'd now taken on the accent of a Southern teenage girl.

Lauren didn't answer; her excitement at hearing Joe's voice, at the fact that _he'd_ called _her_, was suddenly drowned out by waves of sadness.

"Ugh, great, I guess, yeah. We had a nice dinner-"

"What's wrong, Lo?" Joe's voice interjected.

"Wrong? Nothing, Wox! Just tired, y'know." Yet, behind the false note of brightness in her voice, tears dripped down Lauren's face.

"Lauren. Something's up. I'll be round in ten minutes." He slammed his phone down, worry easily detectable on his face. What was wrong with his little Lo?

* * *

An impatient knock sounded upon the door. Although her face was blotchy, hey eyes red and swollen, she had pushed the afternoon's events out of her mind. Lauren left the DVD playing, and hummed along as she padded to the door, still wrapped in her duvet. The duvet, however, promptly fell to the floor as soon as the door was open, and Joe encompassed Lauren in a tight hug.

"Hey, Lo," he mumbled into her hair.

"Wox," she murmured into his chest, shivering and clutching onto him. He silently leant down, and pulled her duvet up around her. Clapsing her hand gently, he lead her back to the sofa, and she nestled into his chest. Despite Joe being almost certain that she wouldn't be comfortable talking for a while yet, he queried, taking on another strange, somewhat womanly accent: "Oh girlfrienddd, what's up babeeeeh?"

Lauren snorted, but shook her head. She looked up at Joe, and shivered slightly. He yanked his hoodie off, and gently slipped it over her head. A small sob escaped her lips, and he pulled her against his chest once more, tucking her under the duvet. "S'okay, Lo..." he trailed off, and looked inquisitively at the screen. "Taken a liking to Brian's favourite films, have we?" he chuckled. She smiled into his sodden t-shirt.  
"Maybe," she mumbled, her eyes twinkling; partly with tears, and partly with affection.  
"Here," he winked comically, "fancy some chocolate? It might be a bit squashed..." he trailed off as he fished around in his pocket, before bringing out a packet of Maltesers.  
Lauren smiled, but inside she was being torn apart. He was perfect. But she hadn't been good enough for Tad, so how would she ever be good enough for Joe?

* * *

Joe kept up a cheery demeanour, but inside he was aching. He longed for an explanation for her sadness; a reason for the bruise down her cheekbone, knowledge of why her eyes were puffy and her expression emotionless. He hated to see her upset - it pained him more than the truth that she'd never love him the way he loved her. As much as he craved to understand why she had got herself into such a horrific state of depression, he knew that he couldn't make her relive the traumatic experience - whatever it was. He shifted himself slightly, to be closer to her. Lauren noticed, and adjusted herself, so she was looking up at him; melted chocolate cascading smoothly into skylit blue.

"It- it was horrible, Wox. I went over for dinner, and he- he was, well, he was with another gi-" Lauren choked on her words, and Joe curled her up tighter into his arms. "Hey," he comforted, shocked by her outburst, "it's okay, Lo. He's an asshole."  
"I know," she grunted, and Joe's mouth twitched slightly upwards.


	4. Get Back Up

**Hello, everyone! Sorry I haven't updated, I found the most beautiful Tup story and I spent 3 days straight reading it. xD I believe Tup may be my new OTP, they're so cute. :'3  
ANYWAY. Please review, it means a lot, and I really appreciate every single one.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Starkids. That'd be strange. Actually, I kinda hate writing about real people, but going to continue just to amuse myself. OH. I don't own the chapter titles either; they're all Starkid songs. xDD**

**LOVE YOU**

* * *

A small smile tugging slightly at her lips, Lauren awoke to find herself clamped in Walker's arms, lying across his chest on her small sofa. He'd yanked the duvet over himself, and she raised an eyebrow, pulling it back over her small frame. Smirking, she looked upon him softly. It'd been sweet of him to stay with her.

Lauren's smile dropped from her face as she gazed at him. Had they slept together? No, that was stupid. No clothes littered the floor, and Lauren had no memory of doing anything other than singing and dancing with him until the early hours of the morning, when they'd both flopped onto the sofa and promptly fallen asleep, lounging across one another.

Her bright smile returned; she was thankful that their friendship hadn't been ruined for one night of frivolity. Lauren's bright brown eyes raked his face as he slept, a slight snore escaping from him. She held in a giggle; he looked adorable when he slept. Innocent and sweet and cute. Dark lashes formed cresents on his cheeks, his t-shirt was rumpled, and his hair was sticking up at odd angles. Her hand reached out, yearning to touch his face, but she restrained herself. What if he woke up? She sighed. Tucking the duvet firmly around herself, sleep caught her in its firm grasp once more.

* * *

Joe woke up a little while later, to find that the duvet had been snatched back by Lauren. He grinned, swiftly yet gently pulling it over himself once more. Checking she was deeply asleep, he held her closer for a moment, wishing he was able to do so when she was awake. He knew he couldn't, and it hurt him - but it was better for him to be friends with her than to be a stranger; far better than being a shunned ex-friend, who tried to take things too far.

Deciding his hunger was beginning to overrule his laziness, Joe slipped out from underneath the duvet, carefully sliding it onto Lauren. He grabbed the two abandoned mugs from the coffee table as he meandered into the kitchen, past the bathroom. Leaving the mugs outside the door, he reasoned that having morning breath when Lo woke up wasn't a good idea. Having had a feeling that his visit wouldn't be brief, he'd brought his toothbrush with him, just in case. He smiled to himself cheerfully, sidling back into the lounge to find his toothbrush.

He remembered grabbing Lauren around the waist, hoisting her onto the table, passing her his toothbrush to use as a microphone. Yet, he couldn't picture where it had fallen as she'd dropped it, shrieking as she'd almost slid off the table. Walker could only think about her expression as he'd caught her, mid-fall; anxiety fading into a reassured, thankful grin. Realising he was standing in the middle of the room, smiling like an idiot, he began to crawl around on his hands and knees, until he encountered the small, plastic object. Triumphantly, he stormed out of the room, almost waking Lauren.

The toothbrush didn't remain in his hand for long. His eyes, upon entering the bathroom, were trained solely on the pregnancy test, left forgotten about on the counter. His hands went to his face in shock, as though he was trying to hide his celestial blue eyes, the toothbrush clattering to the floor. Somewhere amongst the madness blurring his brain, Joe thought of Psyduck, clutching his head and moaning. _Of all the bloody times to think about Pokemon_, Walker sighed internally, trying to think sanely around the blockage in his brain.

Was Lauren... pregnant?

* * *

Grimacing, Lauren opened her eyes to see a figure bending over her. Lips pressed against her forehead, and she assumed it was Joe. "Hello," he grinned, leaning back and taking in her expression. She smiled in return, pleased he was still there.  
"Morning, Wox," she beamed.  
"I was just going to get us some breakfast. Anything in particular you want?"  
"Surprise me."

* * *

Joe stomped down the road, wind and rain smacking him in the face. He didn't care - it was helping to refresh him, helping to clear his head. He couldn't believe it.

Tad had got her pregnant? He'd had the nerve to cheat on her, after getting her _pregnant_?  
Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he did, and had wanted to be shot of her; her and their baby. What a little shit.

Storming into Wal-Mart, Joe charged around the aisles, grabbing food. He wanted to hurt Tad; cause him the pain that he'd caused Lauren to feel. The pain she'd have for nine months, dealing with pregnancy on her own.

Well, he reasoned. She wouldn't be completely on her own. He'd remain with her, even if nobody else did. He'd remain her best friend until she told him to leave her alone. The thought calmed him slightly, and the tomatoes went into his basket with a little less vengeance.

Joe's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, and he rifled around in the basket, unsure as to whether or not he'd put in some chocolate for Lauren. His hand came up gooey, and he groaned: the eggs had broken with the force he had thrown them in with. Shuffling towards the fridge, he wiped goo on any item he could; thin layers of egg plastered everything. He smirked, hoping Tad would be the unfortunate one who had to wrestle with the gloop to reach his shopping.

Smirking slightly, Joe wandered to the self-service check out area, aimlessly scanning item after item. Something caught his eye, leaning on a small shelf, next to the touch screen. Scruffy and small, the fluffy white unicorn toy called him over, forcing his hand to make a quick grab for it. He scanned it confidently, uncaring of people's judgements, before turning back out into the icy, driving wind.

As Walker stood in the line at Starbucks, he grasped the small toy and admired it. Doleful eyes stared up at him, lined with clumpy, pale grey eyelashes. It was kind of cute, he had to admit. A tiny small had been sewn onto its face, making it look innocent. Innocent like Lauren. The line spun forwards, and he was pushed towards the high, recently polished counter; the cuddly toy was placed carefully back amongst the groceries as Joe ordered. He clutched onto the warm coffee, and absent-mindedly took a sip from his own as he began to walk back. He had to think.

_I won't say anything - not until she tells me. I'll just be there for her. Yeah. She can tell me in her own time, if she chooses to; otherwise, well... If it goes for months and she begins to get a bump, I'll have to say something. Can I last that long without mentioning it? How obvious will it be? Eugh. Dead-God damn Tad. I'll just act as though everything's fine. Can I do that? Wait. I'm an actor. That's stupid. Of course I can't. _

* * *

Joe fumbled around with his coffee and shopping bags, trying to free up one of his hands so as to knock on the door. Lauren, however, had seen him coming, and scooted herself to the door, laughing at his befuddled expression as she yanked the door open. He looked as though he'd been drowned, but his eyes twinkled when he saw her.

"Come the hell _in_, Walks," Lauren smiled. She'd taken a shower, and had her hair tied up in a messy ponytail. He was contented to see that piled on top of her fresh clothes was his hoodie, even though it dwarfed her. Grinning widely, he shook his hair in her face, splashing droplets everywhere. She mocked irritation, pretending to slam the door on him, before accepting his hug.

* * *

The pair bustled around the kitchen, continually knocking over various pots and pans. Throwing his frying pan onto the grill, Joe grabbed Lauren around the waist, inadvertently causing her orange juice to spill all over the floor. With complete seriousness masking his face, he picked up his Southern accent from Starship, and sung loudly: "You say you've lost your edge; but I say it's all in your head," which Lauren snorted at, before mumbling in her Mexican Taz accent, "_Idiota._" Despite being cynical, she picked up the song where he left off, somehow sounding tuneful regardless of her fake accent and lack of caffeine. "So listen up, I got a message for you!"

Both making a grab for the other's hand at the same time, they both screeched: "And now we dance!", their accents merging together and sounding somewhat like a strangled cat.

* * *

Finally having finished cooking their masterpiece, they sat down, facing one another. "So," Lauren questioned, a glint in her eyes, "this is just fat, fat and more fat?"  
"Pretty much," Joe grunted around a mouthful of bacon.  
"How is Darren not obese, eating this British crap all the time?"  
"It's _Darren_. He's some sort of freaking magical fairy princess."  
"I thought that was Nick," Lauren giggled, swaying on her chair.  
"Well," Joe agreed, chuckling as she rocked back and forth. The laughter died on his lips as she slipped off of her stool, collapsing in a heap on the ground.

"Lo?" he cried to the heap of hoodie lying at his feet, toast hanging out of his mouth, trying to scrape her back up. Had she hurt herself? Hurt the baby?

She convulsed with laughter on the floor, rolling over and leaning on her elbow. "I want a galaxy traversing rocketship with enough fuel to get me to Mars," she smirked, slipping into her Malfoy persona.  
"What do you want with a rocketship?" asked Joe, quirking his eyebrow as he pulled her up, "What business do you have on Mars?"  
"Well, let's just say: Pigfarts, Pigfarts, here I come! Pigfarts, Pigfarts, yum, yum, yum!"

Joe snorted, finally finishing his piece of toast. As much as he tried to push his worry out of his mind, it was always there, constantly aggravating him. He hated that things couldn't be as careless and... _fun_ as they usually were. Sure, they were laughing, but his smiles never touched his eyes. He only hoped that Lauren hadn't noticed.


	5. Even Though

**My Rumbleroar t-shirt came today! Unf. xD  
I'm in the mood for writing at the moment, so if anyone has any prompts they want written, leave it in a review and I'll do them for you.  
Just going to warn you, there is a fair bit of outfit description, and whenever I write it I just see in my head: "NOBODY CARES WHAT ENOBY IS WEARING" from when I read My Immortal, and there was commentary, xD SO SORRY IF IT KILLS YOU, I'M KEEPING IT TO A MINIMUM BUT IF IT WASN'T THERE THEN YOU MIGHT IMAGINE JOE IS BALD AND WEARING A FALCON EGG SHAPED BRA OR SOMETHING OKAY SO YOU SEE MY POINT **

* * *

Lauren grinned brightly at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was flowing down her back, perfectly straight and gleaming in the soft light of her bedroom. Her makeup was done simply, naturally; it gave her the appearance of a blossoming flower. Her dress was bold - blood red, short and strapless. She wore flats, knowing that she'd have no hope of walking in heels when she was drunk.

It had been two weeks since she'd seen Tad with the other woman, and tonight was Brian's birthday. Tonight, Meredith was going to tell him about her pregnancy. Lauren smiled to herself as she grabbed her purse, and went downstairs to wait for Joe, who was picking her up. Excitement fizzed in her stomach; it was totally awesome - a small grin to herself - that Mere was carrying a tiny little baby, and only she knew.

A loud knock sounded from the door, and Lauren skidded across the floor in her haste to open it. Her and Joe had been inseperable since he'd slept round, and Lauren hoped that maybe tonight something would happen between them. She knew it was stupid, but still; she couldn't help but feel hopeful.  
"Hey," Joe smiled down at her. "Fuck... woah. You look nice."  
Lauren snorted, and appraised him with her eyes. "Thanks. You do, too."  
Joe's hair was flicked forwards, slightly tousled across his face. He was dressed simply, wearing jeans and his infamous Spiderman t-shirt, with scuffed converses on his feet. In what was perhaps a desperate attempt to look less casual, he was wearing a blazer over the top, but it made him look a bit of an idiot. A small smirk drew itself across Lauren's face, and she raised her eyebrows. "Look like you've put a lot of effort in," she laughed, sarcasm lining her tone. Joe grinned mischeviously, and grabbed her, flinging her over his shoulder and carrying her to his car. "Thanks," he snickered, his grin broadening when she started hitting him and demanding to be put down.

* * *

_"Hey," Lauren smiled up at Tad, her eyes glinting in the dark light, "want to come to Bri's birthday party thing? It's not for about a month yet, just thought I'd better make sure you can come." He blinked, his murky green eyes getting lost in melted pools of chocolate. She was hot, he had to give her that. Hot, but lacking... something. He wished she wasn't, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what was happening. He wasn't attracted to her; not at all. She was gorgeous, she was stunning - but she wasn't what he wanted. It was a pity, he had to admit. He supposed some things were meant to be, and well, he guessed, others weren't. He couldn't tell her; he was a coward. He couldn't be honest. He needed an easy way out...  
"Sure, I like Brian. He's the guy that played the bad guy, uhm, Joseph, Jules, Junior? In your space-show, isn't he?"  
Lauren glared jovially, her mouth twitching. "It's not a space-show, dumbass. Now, you'd better un-fudge yourself..."  
He'd laughed, even though he hadn't really understood her joke._

In retrospect, Tad decided, that taking the easy way out hadn't been the best way. He'd hurt someone he had been close to, and that wasn't right. It wasn't her fault, not at all - and nor was it the fault of that idiot bimbo he'd been kissing. It was his fault, and he had to make it right.

* * *

Joe lead Lauren to the door of Starkid Manor by the hand, as they'd become accustomed to doing so over the past couple of weeks. Having been close anyway, it seemed completely natural for them, and neither of them gave it a thought. However, when Dylan opened the door to see the pair of them clapsing mittens, his eyebrows raised above his hairline. Quickly hiding his reaction, he stepped back to allow them in, grabbing Lauren into a hug and doing some strange manly pat on the back with Joe, to which Lauren snorted, wandering inside.

"You and Lo, Walker?" Dylan queried, quirking an eyebrow. Joe's face flushed, and he tried to hide it.  
"No," he muttered, pushing past Dylan and striding down the hall. Dylan just grinned to himself; he thought he knew how Joe felt about Lauren, and it seemed he'd been proven right.

* * *

Shaking his head at his idiocy, Joe almost ran to the kitchen. Leaning on the counter, he poured himself a glass of water. How obvious could he make it? He was so stupid. Scorning himself and trying to tame his red cheeks, he downed the water in one hasty gulp. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Moving back to the party, he mentally shook himself. He spotted Meredith swaying with Brian, looking, for once, the least drunk of the group. Smirking to himself, Joe remembered the last time they'd all been together - the 'booze fest', as it had been dubbed by Jaime. Although his memories of the night were hazy, he remered Mere rolling across the park, demanding they all partake in a giant wheelbarrow race, all the while moaning that she couldn't find any Reese's on the floor.

Eyes unconsciously skimming the small crowd for Lauren, Joe began to panic when he couldn't find her small, dark head anywhere. He sighed. He shouldn't have to worry about her; she was pregnant, not an invalid, uncapable of caring for herself. Lauren was _tough_. He shouldn't even be thinking about her! What was wrong with him?

* * *

Watching Walker's inner turmoil, stood unnoticed in the corner, was Rosenthal. Too frustrated to remain silent, he strode over to Joe, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to face him.

"Joe. What's wrong? You look like you're about to cry, man. What is it?" As much as Joe wanted to push him away and march off, he knew he couldn't.  
"It's nothing," he tried, unable to look Brian in the eye.  
"Bullshit!" he exclaimed, shaking Walker slightly. "C'mon, Joe. Just tell me."  
Grimancing, Joe sighed. It was no use; he could trust Bri, anyway. "Ugh," he began.  
"Mhmmm?" Brian questioned, one eyebrow raising.  
"It's- Lauren. I... I like her, Bri! I know it's wrong and stupid and ignorant, but I can't help it. I have for ages; but she's..." Joe trailed off, choking on his words. He couldn't say it - it would make it so much more _real_.  
"She's what, Joe?" Worry lined Rosenthal's tone, making Walker even more anxious.  
"Pregnant," he stuttered, before shoving his way out of the room.

* * *

Seeing Lauren emerging from the kitchen with a glass of wine, Brian tried to look casual as he asked her: "What the FUCK are you doing?"  
"Excuse me?" she asked, her face a mixture of shock and annoyance. "I'm at a party. Therefore, I think I'm entitled to have a drink, Brian!"  
"But you're..." Rosenthal left his sentence unfinished, remembering Joe's face and how he'd feel if he knew he'd blabbed, only 2 minutes after yanking the secret from him.  
"I'm _what_?" Lauren hissed, her foot tapping impatiently. She wanted to have a good time, not argue with her friends about what she may or may not be.  
"Pregnant?" he stammered, his tone becoming questioning as her expression darkened.  
"Who told you that?" she growled, her voice menacing.

Before Brian could answer, a collective gasp whipped through the Manor. Standing in the doorway, holding a six-pack of beers, was Tad.


	6. Not Over Yet

A million pairs of eyes stared Tad down. He was unused to vulnerability; yet when faced with a teeming house of raging Starkids, even his bravado couldn't take it. The beers almost slid from his hand, but he clung on at the last second, earning himself a surplus of concentrated, furious stares. Nobody seemed to know what to say; they hung, suspended in limbo, waiting for something - anything - to happen.

Pulling herself from Rosenthal's light grasp, Lauren spun to face Tad. His guant expression softened slightly when their eyes met, but returned doubly fierce when he was faced with only cold, hard hatred.

"What are you doing here, Tad?" Lauren's voice was devoid of all emotion.  
"You invited me." His voice edged towards steely, but his facade broke towards the end, forcing his walls to crumple.  
"I considered that invitation revoked when I found you messing around with another woman, _Tad_." She spat his name out, as though it tasted vile and repulsive in her mouth.  
"Lo-" the nickname slipped from his mouth, causing Lauren's expression to darken in response. Staring him down, she spoke quietly; her voice overly calm, suggesting menace within. "I also figured you'd lost the right to call me that."  
Tad stared at the ground, his fist clenching around a handful of his jacket. "Can we talk?"  
"Why would I want to talk to you?"  
"I want to... say... sorry." He tried to reason with her, to plead; he sounded pathetic, and he knew he did.

Lauren stepped forward. Turning to smile reassuringly at the rapidly assembled crowd behind her, she nodded slightly. "Okay," she grimaced, not even beginning to expect what was about to be explained.

* * *

Tad pulled Lauren out into the garden, wrapping his jacket around his as they went. She sniffed disdainfully.  
"Lauren, the thing is - well, I'm sorry. And, urh, it's just that I wanted to explain. I wanted to tell you, but I- I was too much of a... a coward." Fumbling over his words in his haste to get them out, Tad finally just stood, awaiting his verdict.  
"Explain, then." Lauren gave no clues as to how she was feeling. Her foot began to tap impatiently as she glared at him.

Tad desperately wanted to make this easier to say - anything would be better than the blunt truth. Sifting through memories from his time with Lauren, he vaguely remembered watching the sequel to their wizard show. Yes! A reference. It would make her happy that he'd remembered, at least, even if he did sound a bit of a tit.

"Don't you get it, you crazy bitch? I'm gay!" He slipped a small smile onto his face as he quoted the musical, to show he was joking about her being a 'crazy bitch'.  
Lauren's eyes widened, and she stared. Was he just being an idiot and postpoing the explanation, or trying to tell her in his usual jovial manner? He had to be telling the truth. Things started to click into place - small mannerisms and quirks that she'd never really noticed. The fact that he was gay didn't bother her in the slightest - it was more that he'd kept it from her. Hiding every emotion and revelation flitting through her head, she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Who was that _charming_ woman unzipping your trousers, then?" Tad sighed.  
"That was... a mistake. An easy way out, as it were. I didn't want to hurt you-" Lauren intervened with a small snort, before allowing him to continue, "and, ugh, it seemed like the easiest way to end things. I didn't want a messy break-up, so I figured that you'd finish it with me if you saw that hideous display."  
Although Lauren was angry, and confused - despite understand Tad's reasoning, she still had the issue of her alleged pregnancy lurking at the back of her mind - she was fair. "Thanks for that, Tad. I... appreciate it. I'm almost glad you came - at least I understand now," she smiled slightly, a tiny twitching of her lips. "Now, please leave," she stressed, wanting to return and decipher the mystery of her 'pregnancy'. As she turned to leave, she handed his jacket back. With a tiny twinkle in her eye, she sneered at Tad: "Well, choose not to be gay then!" and, turning on her heel, saw what she thought would be the last of Tad.

* * *

Joe paced around inside, his every nerve attuned to the sound of Lauren returning. Dylan saw his anxiety, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Dude," he muttered, "I know how you feel about Lauren. Calm down." Joe's eyes turned from a peaceful lake into a thrashing tsunami.  
"Calm _down_? That's Tad out there with her!" he ranted, groaning. It didn't surprise him that Dylan had worked it out - he just hoped nobody else had.  
"And? She can handle herself."  
"But he-"  
"I know what he did, man. But still-"  
"That's the problem," Joe intervened, "you _don't_ know."  
"What d'you mean? I know he cheated on her."  
Joe knew it was wrong to tell people. This was his second lapse of judgement tonight; how would Lauren feel if she knew? He could blow any tiny blip of chance he had with her. He should just nod and agree, humbly wander off with some excuse.

But he didn't. His pent-up fear for her, having to cope on her own, overrode any shred of sense he had, and it blurted from his mouth before he could stop it. "Dyl, she's- she's pregnant."  
Dylan blanched, stepping back. "Er - what?"  
"_Pregnant_, Dyl. With Tad's baby. He cheated on her, after getting her pregnant."  
"You sure, man? Why hasn't she said anything?"  
"She's scared, I guess. I found her pregnancy test when I slept round."  
"You slept round?"  
"Yeah, but _really_, Dyl? That's what you're interested in?" Joe smiled slightly. Of the the things to be concerened about. Dylan grinned sheepishly.  
"Sorry, dude. Just, er, what do we do?"  
"I've just tried to be there for her, y'know?"  
"Okay, that's cool. Look, go enjoy yourself, Walker! You don't seem yourself - just relax. I'm sure Laur can sort out Tad. Here-" Dylan shifted an un-opened beer out from his arm and passed it to Joe, "have this. Now, go!" Flapping his arms at Joe, Dylan took a sip from his lager, turning to find Jaime.

Joe forced a smile onto his face. He knew he hadn't been himself lately; he hated keeping secrets, and hated telling them. Drinking his beer, he cut his lip on the can when a loud screech echoed through the Manor. Joe froze, blood dripping down his chin. The scream was undoubtedly Lauren's.


	7. I Wanna Be

**Hello! I'm sorry about that last chapter, I really don't like it, but I just want to move on with the story and not worry about re-writing it. I'm going to try to make this a bit more interesting, and fluffier, because it's got boring. So far, though, I'm not too keen on this chapter either. Oh, well. xoxo**

* * *

Swearing under his breath, Joe wiped blood from his face. What was wrong with Lauren?

He waited; wanting to hear another sound that might suggest her location. The gentle thrum of rain htting the roof resounded loudly in his ears. And then-

"BRIAN ROSENTHAL! You tell me what's going on right now!"

Joe blanched, rushing past the superhero photos and sitting in a corner, obscured from view behind a sofa and coffee table. Shit. He huddled away, shutting his eyes. She had to know. Fuck. Crap.

* * *

Lauren stormed up to Rosenthal, glaring up at him. As small as she was, she still looked menacing; Brian took a step back.

Tad had left, leaving Lauren free to discover what was happening. Why would anyone think she was pregnant? Was she fat? Sharply, she raised her eyebrows.  
"Come on, Bri. Tell me. I won't get mad-" Brian gave her a look, "_Really_. I won't. I just want to know what's going on. Please?" Her expression changed from domineering anger to one of a cute little child.

He wanted to give in, but he couldn't. Not entirely, at least. Desperate as he was to succumb, he knew how wrong it would be; Joe would loathe him. Maybe not loathe, but... he'd certainly be distressed. Rosenthal kept up his inner waffling until he realised she was glaring at him one again, one hand planted on her hip.

"Someone told me, today, that you were _with child," _Brian stage-whispered, trying to make the situation more lighthearted. Lauren snorted disapprovingly.  
"Who was it?"  
"I can't say." If possible, Lauren's eyebrows raised even higher.  
"And... why not?"  
"Just can't. Fancy some more wine? Presuming you're not pregnant, obviously." This only resulted in more glaring from Lauren, and Brian groaned inwardly. Grabbing his phone out of his pocket, he hummed 'Liam's Got a Phone Call' and pretended to take a call, running off, yelling "Hey, Dev!" as he rounded the corner. Lauren slapped her forehead, moaning.

She could chase after him, but she knew it was pointless. Taking a sip of wine straight from the bottle Brian had been holding, she sat backwards on the sofa, staring at the superhero photos that adorned a shelf in the manor. They'd been placed proudly, as though they were photos of relatives. The longer she stared at Batman, the more his features shifted, until he was identical to Joe. She shook her head, trying to displace the image, sighing.

* * *

Joe heard a small, sorrowful sigh as he crouched in his corner. The sigh brought him out of his thoughts for a moment, but he delved back in, undisturbed. He didn't know what was wrong with him - he was acting completely out of character. He was usually _fun_, not angry, depressed or lethargic. He was confident, not scared of a tiny girl. Aggressively, he swung his head forward into his hands.

Truthfully, he did know what was wrong with him. Lauren. He'd swapped personalities with Up, so it seemed; he'd become so caught up in her that he couldn't even have a good time. Just as he was about to heave himself up, deciding that he should just talk to her, another thought occured to him - what of he couldn't even be friends with her anymore, because he was such an idiot? What if she hated him for giving her secret away? What if she hated him anyway? Joe flopped loudly back down, forgetting that someone else was probably in the room, having heard their sigh. He groaned aloud; why was this happening to him?

* * *

Hearing a groan, Lauren peeked over the back of the sofa. She stifled a shocked gasp as she saw someone hidden away on the floor, his head in his hands. Brought out of her confusion, she slipped over to him, taking his hand. He looked up, his face stained red, a single tear dripping slowly down his cheek. Joe.

"W-Wox?" Lauren stammered, taking in his doleful expression. He smiled slightly; a mere twitch of his lips, making him look even more crestfallen.  
"Lauren," he greeted, speaking slowly, his voice surprisingly calm. She gaped at him.  
"What's wrong? Joe?" She gathered him in her arms, putting her head on his shoulder. Instinctively, he pulled her closer.  
"Lauren..." he repeated, another warm tear landing in her hair. He couldn't help himself anymore. _If you want to be the man, you've got to beat the man, _replayed unhelpfully in his head. Closing the slither of distance left between them, Joe kissed her.

"I really like you, Lo. I want to be... your... boyfriend. But I know I can't... because of... Tad."  
Lauren said nothing; she was too touched, and, admittedly, confused, by his kiss. Joe took this as a sign to continue.  
"He got you... pregnant, then he _left_ you. But I know how you felt about him... I can't replace that," Joe murmured into her hair, scrubbing at his face with his hand.

Lauren said nothing, eyes wide and staring unflinchingly at Joe's crumpled form. What?

_Joe_ was the one who had been spreading this rumour? Or had he heard it? Lauren's fist clenched around his t-shirt, pushing herself slightly away from him. She'd never seen Walker cry before, so it clearly wasn't about nothing; this guy usually only got emotional over food, and had never worked himself into such a state before. She tried desperately to catch his gaze, and their eyes merged, swirling chocolate tipping over into reddened pools of icy blue.

"I'm sorry, Laur. I shouldn't have told anyone- I know it was wrong, but I didn't know what to do, and they wouldn't leave me alone-" Joe choked on his words, his eyes dropping.

_Joe_ had told them? Who was_ them_? More than one person thought she was pregnant?

"What happened, Joe?"  
"They kept asking me- wanted to know why I was acting so weird- and I gave in too easily. I'm sorry," he repeated, staring at their linked hands.

"Wox... I'm not pregnant. I don't know why you thought I was, but I'm... not."

* * *

"You're not pregnant?" Joe mumbled, his eyes lighting up. "You're gonna be okay?"  
"Yeah, stupid," Lauren smiled, glad that his problem had so easily been solved. She realised she should probably be angry that he'd told people, but he'd truly believed she had been, and, well... she loved him.

"You're not mad at me?" His voice shook a tiny bit, but he was starting to sound more like his adorable, cocky self. Slightly.  
"No," Lauren beamed, overjoyed that he had cheered up. "But, er- why _did_ you think I was pregnant?"  
"I found your test, when I slept round-"  
"That wasn't mine, Joe!"  
"It was who's, then?" He raised a single eyebrow questioningly, falling back into himself with a small smile.  
"Shit, I forgot! Meredith! She's telling Bri tonight-"  
"Meredith?" Joe yelled, excitement overtaking him. "Brian was saying how much he'd love it only a few days ago- _bless_," he snickered.  
"Walker!" Lauren pretended to slap him. "Stop being insensitive! Now I know you have feelings-" Joe flushed a very bright shade of red, and Lauren was overcome with laughter, unable to finish her sentence. Joe grabbed her tightly in a hug, encompassing her in his warm arms. Grinning, Lauren looked up to see Meredith trooping into the room, her face covered with questions.

"What do you guys want?" Meredith had heard Joe's shout, and had come to investigate. Lauren giggled.  
"Joe thought_ I_ was pregnant-"  
"What an idiot-"  
"I know," Lauren smirked, continuing, "but I told him it was actually you - I figured you wouldn't mind; you're telling everyone tonight, anyway, right?" Her expression turned apologetic, with a hint of hopefulness. Meredith nodded, a tiny smile playing about her lips.  
"Sure, that's okay. I don't know how you managed to hide it this long, if I'm honest."  
"Neither do I!" Lauren squealed, pointing to the door as Holden sauntered in.

"What?" Brian surveyed the room, his eyes coming to rest on three of his friends - well, two friends and his girlfriend - hidden away, crouched into a corner. Lauren was lounging on Joe, who looked as though he was about to burst with glee, though his eyes looked red from crying. Eh?

* * *

"What's going on?" Brian repeated, staring quizzically at Meredith.  
"Bri, come here," she gestured him over to their huddle, beaming.

Brian sat down, cross-legged on the floor, opposite Meredith, taking her hands in his. They shook slightly, and her eyes filled with tears, despite her broad smile. "Mere?"  
"I wanted to wait until everyone was here-" she managed to choke out.  
"To do what?"  
"Bri- we're having a baby. I'm pregnant!"


	8. Kick It Up A Notch

"What?" Brian whispered, unable to speak properly due to the overhwleming emotions threatening to overtake control of him.

"What's wrong, Bri? I thought you'd be happy-"  
Meredith was cut off by a long, drawn out, enthsiastic kiss. Brian swept his tongue across her teeth, and she let him in; the longer it went on, however, the louder Joe and Lauren's screeches of protest became.

"Sorry," Meredith mumbled, blushing. Lauren squealed excitedly, clapping her hands together and almost falling out of Joe's lap. He laughed as he caught her, clutching her to his chest. Her cheeks flushed red when she noticed that Brian and Mere were now staring quizzically at the pair of them.

Lauren shook her head slightly at Meredith; she didn't know what was happening - there was no way she could explain it to anybody.

"Anyway," Meredith started, giving Lauren a look that clearly said she had to explain later, "Bri! Wanna tell everyone? Or shall we keep it a secret?" She giggled as Brian snorted. "You really think _I_ could keep this a secret, Mere?"

Brian stood up, pulling Meredith with him. Neither of them could keep a grin off of their faces for long; Brian's eyes were even shining with unshed tears. Meredith squeezed his hand, and he finally allowed the tears to streak down his face.

* * *

Lauren and Joe let them walk ahead, wanting them to enjoy a private moment before revealing their news to everyone. Joe grapsed Lauren by the hand and swung her up, and she smiled broadly at him. Sure, she had no clue where either of them stood in this at the moment; really, she reasoned, she had no clue what was going on at all. Yet, when she looked up at Joe, every worry in the back of her mind drifted away; she was happy with him.

Lauren liked him back? Joe, having swept her up from the floor, stood and stared in awe at Lauren. He couldn't believe it. One minute, he'd been sobbing in a corner because of her, and now they were holding hands and beaming like little children. It was strange - but it was perfect.

* * *

Joe hastily wrapped his arms around Lauren, lacking his usual confidence and revealing his nerves to her. She gripped him tightly, and grabbed his hand, towing him along behind her. She loved Joe - although she would never admit that to him - but she wanted to hear Mere and Bri's announcement.

They caught the tail-end of Meredith's speech and they reached the lounge: "And, uhm, we're having a ba-"  
Her voice was cut off by loud screeches and warm hugs. Brian smirked at their baby's fan club, and finished Meredith's sentence jokingly. "We're having a bagel, if anyone wants one?" Meredith slapped him on the arm, laughing, and was pulled in for a group hug. Lauren and Joe slipped in, releasing hands as they sunk into the swarm of their friends.

* * *

Meredith was lying with her head in Brian's lap, his hand on her stomach, when Lauren announced that she needed a drink. Launching herself up, Joe stared after her. He guessed they probably needed to talk, and figured that now would be a good time.

Most of the party had crashed on the floor and various sofas by now; it was mid-morning, and only the last stragglers remained awake. Joe felt no need to make an excuse for his following her to a slumbering room, so he simply skulked out after her.

Lauren was kneeling on a counter, reaching for a glass. Joe smirked when he saw this, and grabbed a cup out for her, wrapping one arm around her waist and sliding her to the ground.

"I thought you might need a hand. Being so tiny, you know."  
Lauren yawned widely. "Heard it a million times, Wox."  
"Do you wanna sit outside? I guess we need to, ugh... talk?"  
"Sure," Lauren replied sleepily.

* * *

Walking in comfortable silence, the pair wandered out onto the street, heading for a bench outside the manor.  
Joe sat down, his eyes following Lauren's every move as she sat. She smiled reassuringly; if he truly liked her, she knew what she wanted.

"So," he began awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.  
"Joe." Lauren addressed him purposefully, her smile becoming more serious, but remaining slightly. He looked up.  
"I really like you. I have for- well, since college, I guess. Tad was a distraction; an attempt to get over the fact that you'd never look at me the way I do you. And I'd- I'd love to be your girlfriend, if you... if you meant what you said, earlier."  
A small smile crept across Joe's lips. He grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her onto his lap, his grin becoming more broad with every second. Leaning down, their lips met, melting into each other. Lauren moaned, parting her lips and clutching Joe's shoulder with one hand, the other spiralling further into his hair. Joe's mouth opened, allowing her in; her taste, her scent, her passion - it was all overwhelming.

When they finally parted, Lauren leant her head against Joe's shoulder. Their heavy breathing was the only noise to break the silence.

Birds flew out of the tree planted across from them.  
The gunshot screeched the silence away, leaving no smiles on anyone's faces.


	9. Rogues Are We

**A/N: I want to say a massive thank-you to all of my reviewers! I'm sorry I don't reply to all of you, I often forget who I have replied to and get muddled, so as of this chapter, I'm going to do my best to reply to all of you.  
Also, I'm sorry that the chapter is so short. I've started vlogging - my channel is walruseswithwaffles on Youtube, if you care;) - and don't have a lot of time to write at the moment, so I thought that I'd just write a filler chapter to let you know what happens. xoxo**

* * *

Jaime awoke suddenly to the echoing noise of a gunshot. Originally, she thought it was on the television - until she realised that it was turned off.

Hurriedly, she shook Denise, who had collapsed into sleep on top of Jaime's legs. She groaned, blinking sleepily.  
"What is it, Jaims?" she grunted, shutting her eyes again.  
"Deeds!" Jaime exclaimed, grabbing her and shaking her again. "Didn't you hear it? The shot?"  
"Shot?" Denise raised her eyebrows, sitting up slightly.  
"Yes! The gunshot!"  
Denise looked around slowly, seeing if anyone else had been awoken, or if Jaime was just hearing things. Her mouth dropped open simulatenously to her eyes widening. Turning, she grabbed Jaime by the shoulders, forcing her to face her.  
"Deeds?"  
"Where are Joe and Lauren?"

* * *

The room was dark, Lauren noted, squinting her eyes to work out where she was. Wanting to brush a stray strand of hair from her face, she went to move her arm, then realised the she couldn't. Her wrists were secured to the arms of a chair. The start of a scream formed on her lips, but a hand clapped over her mouth.

"Don't, Lo." Joe's voice was strained and quiet, as though he'd been yelling.  
"Joe-" Even to herself, Lauren sounded hoarse and uncomfortable, but she continued anyway, "Where are we?"  
"I don't know, Lo. I was unconscious until a while ago."  
Lauren's fists clenched. She hated the thought of Joe being hurt. "What happened to you?" She could hear him painfully re-adjusting himself.  
"Do you remember the gunshot?" He carried on after seeing a feverent nod in the dim half-light. "I got shot in the leg. It was aimed at you, but I jumped in front of it. You cried, you thought I was dead-" Here he choked a little on his words - "I wasn't, but then she came up behind us and smacked you around the head. You've been out of it since. She said- she said she kept me awake so she could punish me."  
Lauren couldn't speak. She found Joe's face in the darkness, and their eyes met. A single tear dripped down her face, and Joe wiped it away carefully. Leaning forwards, he kissed her gently. His hand intertwined with hers, and he slid to the floor, letting the pain wash over him in waves of darkness once more.


	10. Everything Ends

Lauren stirred, trying to grab for Joe's hand. She heard a sneer from above her.

"He's not awake. Neither will you be, soon enough."

Blinking blearily up into the darkness, Lauren froze. A figure towered above her in the darkness, holding a gleaming knife and a length of rope. Lauren desperately fought against the bindings, holding her to the chair. The figure bent down, speaking softly.

"I'll remove these ties, hmm?" Lauren decided the figure was a woman - the tone of her voice purred like a cat lapping up milk. She let out a gasp as the knife dug into her fist.  
"Sorry honey, must have missed. I'll try again," the woman murmured gently as she violently lashed into Lauren's knuckles. Holding in a scream, Lauren gripped tightly onto the arms of the chair.  
"One more try..." came the mutter from above. Lauren grapsed onto consciousness as the knife stabbed into her wrist, just missing a vein. She felt something tighten around her neck- the rope the woman had been holding. It tightened slowly, gradually reducing the flow of air into her lungs. Gasping for breath, Lauren tried to see Joe in the room, but slipped into the familiar darkness as her breathing almost completely stilled.

* * *

"Madam, if you'll excuse me, it's been a month since your friends were reported as missing. We'll keep our eyes open, but we have other cases. We have no evidence that either of them were shot. I'm sorry." The person on the end of the line hung up, leaving Julia with tears filling her eyes. She turned to Jaime, trying to remain calm.

"They've given up, effectively." She sniffled slightly, not allowing Jaime to see just how cut up she was. She loved Lauren, and she loved Joe. Where were they?  
"How? What?" Jaime didn't care about letting her emotions slip any more. She missed her friends.  
"I'm sorry," she sighed, pulling the other girl into a hug.

* * *

"L-Lauren?" Joe tried to talk, but his throat hurt. A finger touched his lips, and someone straddled his waist.  
"Don't worry about her, babe. It's about us now." The finger trailed down from his lips to his chest, and pushed under his blood-soaked shirt.  
"What?" he murmured, trying to push the person off of him. They resisted, kissing down his jaw and scratching his stomach sharply, until it bled.  
"She's an inconvenience. We can be together now," the voice muttered, as firm hands ripped his shirt in half, away from his body.

"Lauren," he repeated, slightly more firmly, squirming desperately to get away. He had no idea how long they'd been in this hellhole, and he felt things were about to get a whole lot worse.

"She's nothing!" bellowed the voice, scraping and stabbing with long fingernails into Joe's body wherever it could. "She means nothing to you! They said you didn't love her! They said you love me!"  
Joe's writhing stilled, his voice broken with pain. "I will always love Lauren."  
"Then," said the voice mercilessly, "it's time for you to die."

* * *

**A/N: I'm off sick, so I have some writing time today. As I wanted to keep the chapters short and suspenseful at the moment, I figured I'd upload 2 chapters today. I will start the next one after this episode of Batman, so you won't be waiting too long! Thanks again for all of your support, it means the world when I see your reviews/follows! xoxo**


	11. Getting Along

**A/N: Lauren is not dead- just thought I'd better clear that up. Read it carefully. xD 'Almost' being the important word. + Yay for ironic chapter titles?**

* * *

Lauren awoke to the sickening sound of a breaking bone, and a muffled cry of pain. Her neck burnt, and she fumbled with her hands to try and release her bonds to the chair so she could untie the noose around her neck. Rope burn stung, but not so greatly as the shredding of her heart that tore when she heard Joe's agonised scream.

"Why are you doing this?" Lauren slowly opened her eyes, managing to see the glitter of a tear shining on Joe's face. Moonlight shone through a crack in the ceiling, allowing her to peek through the greyness. A high-pitched laugh echoed through the silence, just as Joe met Lauren's eyes, fear and pain highlighted in their depths.

"Because I love you," the woman said in a sing-song tone, giggling and rubbing his shoulders. He shook her off.

"That's not a reason. Why are you doing this?"

"I told Clarence about you. He said that if I _loved_ you, I should go get you. So, I did. But then I saw that stupid _bitch _with you, all snuggled. She doesn't belong with you. I do." She spat certain words, stressing her passion.

"Who's Clarence?" Joe asked tonelessly, trying not to provoke her; to keep her talking. Lauren peeked through half-shut eyes, so as to keep herself undiscovered as awake, down at him. His chest was a mess of blood, his lip had been recently cut and blood dripped down his chin and neck, and his right leg bent at an unnatural angle. She tried to hold in a gasp, inhaling sharply. Joe's eyes flashed with worry, but the woman was too intently focused on her anecdote by now to notice.

"Clarence is my friend. He can be a little controlling, but he has my best interests at heart. He's dying to meet you, but I said no. Everyone who meets him thinks he's... thinks we're strange. Befuddled. I don't want my boyfriend to hate my best friend."

"I'm not your boyfriend," Joe choked out. A blood-curdling scream of rage errupted from the woman at his words, and she thrust the knife into his broken leg. His eyes rolled back into his head slightly, and he stared at the rapidly spreading red stain on his jeans.

Lauren wanted to help him, but she knew that even if she was freed she'd be unable to do anything. She could hurt Lauren to hurt Joe, and hurt Joe to hurt Lauren. She could only support him through her unfaltering eye contact, and hope that the woman left soon.

* * *

The woman pulled the knife from Joe's leg, before turning and stabbing it into Lauren's arm. Lauren remained silent, pretending to still be unconscious - desperately hoping that if she didn't react, the woman would get bored. Her face flushed with pain, and her teeth gritted slightly, but her actions went unnoticed, as the woman had wrenched the knife from Lauren and thrown it towards Joe, missing his cheek by centimetres. Her anger overtook her, and she stormed out, leaving the bloody pair to help each other. Neither had been awake at the same time as the other in weeks, both drifting in and out of consciesness as hunger and bloodloss attacked their bodies. Joe inched across the dusty floor to find the knife, before slicing through the rope tying Lauren to the chair in the centre of the room.

"Thanks," Lauren coughed out, her voice raw from being unused in so long. She slid to the floor and softly pulled Joe into a hug.

He felt terrible. His injuries bothered him far less than the wracking guilt racing through his body. He wasn't a good boyfriend for Lo. He hadn't protected her at all. He should have... he broke down, sobbing into her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, clutching onto her as though she was a life line.

"Hey, Joe, it's okay... what's wrong?" Lauren knew that this question sounded stupid; he was in pain - but it seemed more emotional. He'd managed to cope with the pain for so long now.  
"It's just- I haven't been very good to you." It sounded ridiculous to Joe when he said it.  
"Joe. You're perfect. Now shush, stop worrying. We'll get out of this, I promise. I love you."

"How sweet," cooed a voice from the corner - a new voice.


	12. Love Grenade

Lauren looked up, tears streaming down her face. Joe pulled her in tighter, making her feel safe.

"Aren't you two just _meant_ for each other," snarled the voice. It sounded familiar, but different; still feminine. Lauren cuddled in even closer, one hand reaching up to cup Joe's cheek in her palm. Neither of them dared mutter a reply.

"Absolutely _adorable." _The voice held a sarcastic edge, and a heavy footstep echoed at the end of the comment.

Joe pressed his lips to kiss the side of Lauren's hand, closing his eyes. She leant into the contact, hearing his murmured words: "I love you." Being in this situation had made the pair more forthcoming with one another - but if they didn't make it out alive, even that tiny slither of a benefit would be destroyed. Being kept in the dark, starved and wounded, drew out any hope, positive thoughts and happiness, as though a dementor crept beside them wherever they shifted. This was Lauren's last positive thought, which was dying quickly as the person took another step towards them.

They slid a gun out from within their leather jacket, causing Lauren to cringe into Joe. He muffled his small sound of pain, not wanting to worry or hurt her. He had to get her out alive - even if he didn't make it.

The gun was angled, and the bullet flew through the air.

* * *

Joey wandered along, one headphone in. It was only 7am, but he needed coffee, so he was headed the long way around into town, trying to waste time. He'd had trouble sleeping since the incident, and kept waking unexpectedly early. He'd gone home to L.A. for a while, but had decided to return to Chicago for a while, to keep his friends company. He'd been staying at Starkid Manor, but it didn't seem the same without Joe. Joey shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, scuffing his shoes along the pavement. He missed his friends.

He turned down a road, the pavement thinning and the road widening as he mooched down the industrial area. Life seemed to have little purpose, without Lauren's glittering eyes and Joe's vivacious laugh. For all he knew, they could be dead- but he didn't like to think like that.

* * *

"Joe? Joe!" Lauren cried, shaking him. His eyes opened slowly, but they didn't seem to take in the scenery around them.

* * *

Joey leant down, to tie his shoelace. His worn converse suggested that these were, by far, his favourite pair. The song changed to "Breaking Free" - he did not know why that was on there, not at all - so he left his half-tied shoe to change the song, staying crouched down. What point was there in getting up? Getting up wouldn't save Joe or Lauren. Blinking rapidly, he tried to hold in the tears that threatened to flow down his face. As he returned to tying his shoe, two things happened at once: a tear fought its way out of his squinted eyes and splashed onto the dry ground, and Joey flew upwards from his position in shock. A gunshot echoed through the air.

And then Joey was running, running the direction of the sound. He didn't know why - he just felt like he had too.

He should have run as far away as he could, for the direction he was running in only lead him to the most horrific sight he had ever seen.

* * *

"Joe!" Lauren broke down into tears, clutching Joe as he came to. He shook his head, sitting up slightly.

"How rude," sneered the woman. "I try to get your attention, get you away from each other, and you ignore it, you get _closer_. Why?" she screeched, pulling at her hair.

Joe shifted his gaze upwards, trying to see the reason why there was a new scintilla of light gleaming down onto the woman. A hole in the roof, from where the bullet had pierced it, allowed in a small slit of early morning daylight. This person had black hair, badly dyed, with murky roots showing through. Her expression was anguished and confused, her gaze focused on Joe.

Her voice changed. "Why don't you love me, Joe? I love you..." she trailed off wistfully.  
"He doesn't love you because you don't have the guts to kill her!" she yelled, her voice becoming a snarl.  
"But he's _happier_ with her. I don't want to make him unhappy, I just want him to love _me_."  
"Lucy, stop. You never get what you want out of life from being pathetic. Kill the girl!"  
"Okay, Clarence. Okay. I want Joe, so if the girl has to go... she has to go."

Joe's subconscious made him hold onto Lauren, reassuring her, whilst he tried to understand what had just happened. They were the same person? What?

The stress made Joe feel even more lightheaded, but he held desperately onto consciousness. He couldn't leave Lauren alone - it could be the death of her.


	13. When You Have To Go All The Way Home

Joey's shoes pounded rythmically on the pavement. Every thud brought him closer to the clutser of warehouses, towering above him ominously. He stopped for breath, and the blood rushed to his head when he leant on a wall, eyes dropping to the ground. Why was he so desperate to figure out what was going on? It could be a group of college students, making a video with hopes of it going viral. But he felt it was more than that. He had a twinge of intuition, that maybe, just maybe, it could be Lauren and Joe.

He set off again, hair flopping in time with his heavy, laboured footsteps. Joey ran, but for all he knew, he could be too late.

* * *

Joe clutched onto Lauren tightly, unsure of how to proceed. Did this woman have schizophrenia? How was she 2 people at once?

All he knew was that they had to escape, and that they had to escape now.

* * *

Joey heard a scream, followed by another gunshot. Soaring upwards, a piece of roof flew through the air seconds after the gun had been fired. He had pinpointed his destination - now he just had to get there.

* * *

Lauren shrunk into Joe when the gun was fired. It wasn't aimed at either of them - it was a warning. But she felt she simply couldn't hold in her screams; this reality was worse than any nightmare. Meeting the womans eyes, she was met with cold determination and brutality. The lady snatched her from Joe's arms, and plastered her mouth in Duct Tape.

"Maybe now, you'll learn your lesson in silence."

* * *

Joey skirted around the outside of the abandoned building, avoiding bits of roof, insulation and brick that had been shot at. A small gap in the dented metal allowed him to see the dimly lit room inside. A chair was in the centre, and a woman was hastily tying a dark-haired, petite girl to it. A dark figure in the corner was shrinking into the shadows, before letting their head fall into their hands.

Was it... Was it Lauren and Joe? Joey's heart pounded in his chest. He'd found them!

He didn't want to get captured, though. That ruled out Option 1: barging in and demanding they be set free. He'd most likely get shot, and end up unable to help. He stroked an invisible beard, then shook his head. This _really_ wasn't the time.

He had Option 2: sneak in, pull Joe out, distract the woman whilst Joe untied Lauren, then run. It seemed like the best option so far, and he didn't want to wait and think of a third. Lauren didn't look too good, even from outside, and Joe had slumped sideways. He had no idea what sort of condition they'd be in, and he could assume that it wasn't the best.

* * *

"Jaims, do you know where Joey is? Darren wants to speak to him."

Jaime looked around at Eric, and shook her head. "I think he might be at work, or skiving off an getting coffee, knowing Joey." She laughed, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"You okay, Jaime?" Eric's eyes were full of concern; Jaime hadn't been her usual, bubbly self so much as of late. She smiled.  
"I'm fine, Er. It's just worrying - I get scared whenever someone leaves the house now. I didn't ever think something like this would happen-" her utterance ended as she choked on tears that were fighting to drown her. Eric rubbed her back soothingly.

The event had ruined their lives. The Starkids had turned from confident, fun people to intorverted, anxious ones. Airport For Birds had to be cancelled, leaving them with fines from Second City, as it didn't work without Joe and Lauren. Many of them hardly left their houses, preferring to stay away from human contact. Brian was suffering particularly badly - he feared that the stress would impact Meredith's pregnancy. The pair only ventured outside for scans, doctor's appointments and when they needed to go food shopping. Meredith was showing slightly now, and it seemed that her bump and Brian were all that she lived for.

* * *

Joey's back and legs ached from being crouched against the side of the warehouse for so long. He'd decided to hope that the woman left, leaving him free to get to his friends. Should their lives look endangered, he'd storm in and take them.

There had been, at one point, a moment of doubt during his purgatory. What if it wasn't Joe and Lauren? He'd shaken his head mockingly, wondering how many people were tied to chairs and shot at in Chicago. Besides, he'd decided, even if it wasn't them - a small gulp of terror was elicited from his throat - he should help them anyway.

"I'll be back." The stomp of high heeled boots richoted off of the thin metal walls, followed by a loud thump. The gray, womanly figure retreated into the darkness, and a door creaked, as though it was closing.

The person Joey had assumed to be Joe painfully pulled himself across the floor to where the woman tied to the chair was. A murmur pierced the unbearable silence.  
"Lo... please wake up. I love you. You've got to wake up. Please, Lo..." The voice sounded nothing like Joe's; it was croaky and broken, but this Lo had to be Lauren. Joe started to unravel the ties binding Lauren's wrists to the arms of the chair, followed by her ankles. She collapsed onto his crumpled form, and he hugged her. He was wracked by sobs, and Joey felt almost invasive. But he had to help now, before the woman returned.

* * *

Joe clung to Lauren, trying to peel the duct tape off of her mouth without hurting her. A small creak of metal warned him that the woman was coming back, but the noise was coming from the right side of the room, not the far left corner, through which she had left. Painfully, he turned his head, tear tracks streaking through the dirt on his face.

It wasn't the woman. It was Joey.


	14. I Was

"Joey," Joe croaked, his eyes widening. Once, Joey would have found his friend's expression comical, with eyebrows slanting upwards and the whites of his eyes blazing, like those of a frightened colt. Now, he only felt pain.

"Hey, Joe." What was he supposed to say? This wasn't something you were ever taught about - how to talk to your half-dead friend for the first time in months. Joe's eyebrows dropped, and his frame drooped.

"Is it- is... it's really you, Joey?"

"Yes," mumbled Joey, his strong demeanor failing. He rushed forwards, and pulled the pair into a clumsy hug. "But, Joe, we have to be quick. Is Lauren...?"

"I don't know," Joe mumbled, his arm reaching out clumsily once more for her. Lauren did not stir.

* * *

Hauling the pair out of the darkened room silently was not only the most strenuous thing Joey had ever had to do, but also the most nerve-wracking. What if the crazy woman showed up again? Time passed, yet it held little meaning; Joe was almost completely delirious, and Lauren remained unconscious. Joey reached in his back pocket once he had helped Joe out, finding a chocolate bar - albeit a slightly squashed one.

Joe almost seemed to have forgotten how to eat.

That was one of the saddest things, for Joey - how Joe had changed. Unable to gauge any differences in Lauren, his focus remained on Joe, concentrating on tiny things that, when added, made a disturbing total. His muscles had deteriorated, his body needing nourishment that couldn't be given. He was a shell of his former self, with dulled eyes and hair, and an almost skeletal physique.

The pang in Joey's throat didn't last long, but the moisture in his eyes refused to be banished.

* * *

Getting Lauren out was easier - Joey cradled her to his chest, with Joe looking on anxiously - even injured and weak, he felt an odd sense of jealously when he saw the ease with which Joey could care for her. Joe wanted to protect her, and he had failed. Slumping against the crooked stone wall to the left of the metal building, his eyes crumpled shut.

What was he good for now?

* * *

For Joey, the ride in the ambulance was terrifying. Joe had given in - given in to the pain, the hunger, the stress. Lauren had still not awoken, leaving Joey with nothing but fragments of his old friends, both of which were unable to reassure him.

Lauren's tiny frame seemed shrunken, and not glowing as it once had been. Her hair was darker with weeks of seeing no sunlight, dim with dust, scraped clumsily behind one ear. Joe lay next to her, on a separate stretcher, his collarbones prominent through the fabric of the thin white sheet spread over him and his decayed clothing.

Although their conditions were both stable, it seemed as though they were dead.

* * *

**Author's note:** I am incredibly sorry for not updating! I have one thing to lay the blame on, though: Supernatural. Also, I'm sorry for the short chapter (and probable continuity errors), I just keep reading other people's (far better) fanfictions, and lose all hope for this one. I do not, however, want to leave you home-dawgs hanging, so I will be finishing this one (not for a good few more chapters, and then there's always a possible sequel), but hopefully I'll be updating more frequently again.

LOVE YOU XOXO


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